Supporting Students on Campus Over Winter Break

On Thursday, January 11, 2018, American Federation of Teachers, Local 1904 at Montclair State University hosted a pizza party for students who live on campus and who did not go home during the winter break. At the party, members of our university community provided pizzas and care packages (funded by union members) to approximately 60 students at Common Area of Machuga Heights.

Some students remain on campus during the winter break, due to travel expenses or certain commitments on campus, such as athletics. Others simply consider the university to be their home, at this time. This pizza part and care package distribution event is part of AFT Local 1904's tradition of supporting students and helping them to feel welcome throughout the academic year. It is our hope that these packages will help students experience better quality time on campus during the intersession.

Student Loan Debt Clinic

Over 44 million people in the United States are struggling to make their monthly student loan payments, and millions more see economic and personal opportunities pass as they prioritize paying down their debt. Does this sound like you or someone you know?

Many of these people may qualify for free federal programs that can help reduce their monthly payments and eventually lead to student loan forgiveness, but these lifeline programs are significantly under-enrolled. In an effort to help our members get access to these programs, AFT Local 1904, with the support from our American Federation of Teachers international union, is proud to host a Student Debt Clinic which will provide information on how to enroll in Income-Driven Repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

We will be offering a Student Debt Clinic on Tuesday, February 6th @ 12 noon in Student Center Room 419. Bring your lunch. Coffee, tea, and cookies will be provided.

To attend a Student Debt Clinic, you must pre-register here. Registration is first come, first serve, and we must cap attendance at 50 participants in order to ensure that we are able to provide maximum assistance to attendees. 

Managing your student loan debt is the first step in taking on the inequities which plague our system of higher education, and we look forward to seeing you at the Student Debt Clinic and working together to find a collective solution to the problems of student debt and college affordability!

For more information, please read this brochure.

Don't delay, register today!

Membership Recruitment Blitz Surpasses Every Expectation

Thanks to the leadership of AFT Local 1904 Vice President for External Affairs Jennifer Higgins, and the sustained efforts of our many volunteer recruiters, the following are the results for our Membership Recruitment Blitz: 

Total for the Blitz: 63 agency fee converted to full-dues

Total Unit: 1111

Total # Agency: 296 (first time below 300 that I can remember)

Total # Members: 815

AFT President Randi Weingarten has praised this achievement.

The leadership will review the recruiter notes to guide plans for follow-up. We've made great strides, and this is a very strong start. In preparation for the likely outcome of Janus v. AFSCME, we hope to continue this forward momentum, and attain as close to 80% full-dues paying membership as possible. This would mean adding approximately 75 additional full members. Let's continue to work together to make this a reality!

Day Four of Membership Recruitment Blitz